Landulf I (died 982) was the

bishop of Benevento The Italian Catholic metropolitan Archdiocese of Benevento ( la, Archidioecesis Beneventana) has a long history; it now has five suffragan dioceses: the diocese of Ariano Irpino-Lacedonia, the diocese of Avellino, the diocese of Cerreto Sannita- ...

from 956 and the first archbishop of Benevento from 969. Landulf was installed as bishop no later than 19 December 956, because on that date Pope John XII addressed a letter to him.

Paul Fridolin Kehr Paul Fridolin Kehr (28 December 1860, Waltershausen – 9 November 1944, Wässerndorf) was a German historian and archivist. In 1893 he was appointed professor of history and auxiliary sciences at the University of Marburg, and two years later, p ...

, ''Regesta pontificum Romanorum: Italia pontificia'' (Weidemann, 1962)
vol. IX
pp. 54–55. In February 967, the Holy Roman Emperor

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Francia, East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the olde ...

visited Benevento and confirmed for Landulf his direct jurisdiction over the diocese of Siponto (which was effectively joined to that of Benevento) and over the sanctuary of San Michele Arcangelo sul Monte Gargano in a diploma dated 13 February. The city of

Siponto Siponto ( la, Sipontum, grc-gre, Σιπιούς) was an ancient port town and bishopric in Apulia, southern Italy. The town was abandoned after earthquakes in the 13th century; today the area is administered as a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' ...

at the time lay within the Byzantine

catepanate of Italy The Catepanate (or Catapanate) of Italy ( el, ''Katepaníkion Italías'') was a province of the Byzantine Empire from 965 until 1071. At its greatest extent, it comprised mainland Italy south of a line drawn from Monte Gargano to the Gulf of S ...

, outside of Otto's power.Jules Gay
''L'Italie méridionale et l'empire Byzantin''
(Burt Franklin, 1904), pp. 298–299. On 26 May 969, at a synod in Rome presided over by Pope John XIII, Benevento became the second diocese in southern Italy to be raised to metropolitan rank after

Capua Capua ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, situated north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. History Ancient era The name of Capua comes from the Etrusc ...

(between 966 and 968). This synod was also attended by Otto I and Prince

Pandulf I of Benevento Pandulf I Ironhead (died March 981) was the Prince of Benevento and Capua from 943 (or 944) until his death. He was made Duke of Spoleto and Camerino in 967 and succeeded as Prince of Salerno in 977 or 978. He was an important nobleman in the fi ...

, who both interceded on behalf of the diocese. These changes in the religious landscape of southern Italy took place amidst ongoing conflict between the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

and the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

for dominance in southern Italy. In 968, the Byzantine Emperor

Nikephoros II Nikephoros II Phokas (; – 11 December 969), Latinized Nicephorus II Phocas, was Byzantine emperor from 963 to 969. His career, not uniformly successful in matters of statecraft or of war, nonetheless included brilliant military exploits whi ...

raised

Otranto Otranto (, , ; scn, label= Salentino, Oṭṛàntu; el, label=Griko, Δερεντό, Derentò; grc, Ὑδροῦς, translit=Hudroûs; la, Hydruntum) is a coastal town, port and ''comune'' in the province of Lecce (Apulia, Italy), in a fertil ...

to metropolitan rank. The promotion of Benevento was a response to Nikephoros's initiative. John XIII's bull addressed to Landulf confirming the promotion was also dated 26 May 969. The bull lists the suffragan dioceses under Landulf as

Sant'Agata dei Goti Sant'Agata dei Goti is a church in Rome, Italy, dedicated to the martyr Agatha of Sicily. It is the ''diaconia'' assigned to Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. (It became ''pro hac vice'' title in 2021 ...

Avellino Avellino () is a town and ''comune'', capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento. ...

Frigento Frigento is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, Campania, Italy. It is located in the Ansanto valley and bordered by the municipalities of Carife, Flumeri, Gesualdo, Grottaminarda, Guardia Lombardi, Rocca San Felice, Sturno, and ...

, Ariano,

Ascoli Ascoli may refer to: Places in Italy *Ascoli Satriano, a town and ''comune'' in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region *Province of Ascoli Piceno, a province of the Marche region **Ascoli Piceno, a city which is the seat of the province above ...

Bovino Bovino is a ''comune'' and hill town at the eastern side of the Apennines in the province of Foggia, Apulia, southern Italy. Located within the woody Daunian Mountains as a terrace over the Tavoliere plains, Bovino is currently a member of the ...

, Vulturara,

Larino Larino ( nap, label= Campobassan dialect, Larìne; la, Larinum) is a town and ''comune'' of approximately 8,100 inhabitants in Molise, province of Campobasso, southern Italy. It is located in the fertile valley of the Biferno River. The old to ...

Telese Telese Terme, called simply Telese until 1991, is a city, ''comune'' (municipality) and former episcopal seat in the Province of Benevento, in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is located in the valley of the Calore, well known for its sulfu ...

and Alife. It also confirms the status of Siponto and Monte Gargano. Landulf is well known for overseeing the production of several liturgical ''

rotula A ''rotulus'' (plural ''rotuli'') or ''rotula'' (pl. ''rotulae'') is often referred to as a "vertical roll," is a long and narrow strip of writing material, historically papyrus or parchment, that is wound around a wooden axle or rod. Rotuli are ...

e'' (scrolls) in

Beneventan script The Beneventan script was a medieval script which originated in the Duchy of Benevento in southern Italy. It was also called ''Langobarda'', ''Longobarda'', ''Longobardisca'' (signifying its origins in the territories ruled by the Lombards), or so ...

now kept in the

Biblioteca Casanatense The Biblioteca Casanatense is a large historic library in Rome, Italy, named in honour of Cardinal Girolamo Casanate (1620–1700) whose private library is at its roots. History The library was established in 1701 by Antonin Cloche, the Mast ...

in Rome. These were probably produced at the monastery of Santa Sofia. One of these, the

benedictional In the Western Christianity , Western Church of the Early Middle Ages , Early and High Middle Ages, a sacramentary was a book used for Liturgy, liturgical services and the Mass (liturgy), mass by a bishop or Priest#Christianity, priest. Sacramen ...

Casanatense 724, ends with the words "I am Bishop Landulf's" (LANDOLFI EPISCOPI SUM) in gold capital block letters.

Thomas Forrest Kelly Thomas Forrest Kelly (born 1943) is an American musicologist, musician, and scholar. He is the Morton B. Knafel Professor of Music at Harvard University. His most recent books include: ''The Role of the Scroll'' (2019), ''Capturing Music: The Story ...

, ''The Exultet in Southern Italy'' (Oxford University Press, 1996), p. 252. It contains twelve illustrations of the archbishop giving ordinations and benedictions. The ''Exultet'' roll Vaticana lat. 9820 is a copy of one originally made for Landulf. Landulf died in 982.Maria Luisa Agati, ''Il libro manoscritto da Oriente a Occidente: per una codicologia comparata'' (L'Erma di Bretschneider, 2009), p. 133.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Landulf 01 Archbishops of Benevento 982 deaths Year of birth unknown